Some of the teams that participated in the Ba2cada 2024 Master’s League are demanding their promised money for winning the league. They say Ba2ada, real name Nyakallo Leine has been silent regarding the payment.
The teams that spoke to Free State World allege that whenever they enquire about the payment, Ba2cada blueticks them and even blocks them when they become persistent. The league kicked off between April and ended in December 2024
It is alleged that the teams paid a R3000 affiliation fee each to participate in the 2024 Ba2cada Master’s League and there was supposed to be R100 000 shared by winning teams, with Position 1 receiving R30 000.
26 Teams participated in the league which was divided intro streams A and B. According to Mighty Kings Masters FC, they won the league and we’re supposed to receive R30 000, but have not heard from Ba2cada regarding the payment.
Dream Team, on the other hand said it is owed R6500, while Botshabelo African Master is owned R5000. In 2023 when the league started, teams were paid.
“Position 1 to 8 are supposed to share R100K amongst them. He promised medals and trophies for teams at the end of the league and he promised to do it in December during the final of Ba2cada Tournament, but he never fulfilled his promises,” said Mighty Kings Masters FC.
Replying to Free State World for a comment, Ba2cada said he started the Master’s League 2 years ago and this was the second year that the project was going on and they had 26 teams.
He said he started it solely based on keeping the over 35 guys actively through football every Sunday, and to combat health issues like high blood and other sicknesses.
“We did this league without assistance from private sector even though we were knocking at different doors. No sponsors were interested. But because we didn’t do it for sponsors, we continued without assistance,” Ba2cada stated.
He further stated that the league had 12 Referees, administrator and match officials who are paid monthly by the League for their services. Which made it easier for the running of the league.
“Since I have also been running Ba2Cada Soccer Tournament for the past 16 years, which is the oldest and big soccer tournament in the province playing every December for teenagers, I realised that guys over 35 years are not doing anything. So I included them in my community projects to keep our Botshabelo interesting and lively through
football,” added Ba2cada
According to Ba2cada, the Master’s League benefitted taverns and tuck shops around the 2 fields it played on every Sunday, with other teams from Bloemfontein and Thaba Nchu also forming part of it. He took an initiative to be at the forefront of bringing change.
The finals of the Master’s League are played on the same day as the finals of Ba2Cada Tournament. This, Ba2cada said, was to allow them to play for a bigger crowd that the Ba2Cada Tournament Finals has, which has really worked.
Ba2cada stated that referees for Master’s League are paid R6000 monthly combined, Administrator R500 for drawing the fixture, R500 for 2 league officials(1 at each ground),R500 for boys that prepare the ground with lines and putting on/off the nets, making it R8000 monthly from the league for the 9 months the league played (April to
December).
“R8000 by 9 months equals to R72 000. And since the teams pay a R3000 registration fee each for 26 teams, it totals to R78 000 paid. The R72 000 mentioned earlier, is taken from the R78 000 the team paid for registrations. Since the league has no
sponsor, I am basically funding the games from my pocket,” he said.
Ba2cada merged the Master’s League under Ba2Cada Soccer Tournament which has the Department of Sports as a sponsor to share whatever they get for the tournament with the Master’s League for their prices.
Ba2cada said after 10 years with the Department of Sports as the sponsor, they only paid 40% of the costs of the tournament and didn’t pay for the tournament as usual which messed their plans as some of the money was supposed to be given to the Master’s League as prizes.
“If I knew that the department that has been sponsoring us for the past 10 years will only cover for 40% of the tournament. I would have easily canceled the games and ultimately the Masters League, but they only waited for us to start only to come with 40% for the costs,” said Ba2cada.
He put the blame on the 40% payment saying it affected the prices of the Master’s League.
“The mistake I also did was to make prize monies. We should have just played it with no prices, but I also thought it won’t be competitive and teams won’t take it seriously if they have nothing to play for. However, that’s the decision I regret because as mentioned earlier, the registration was just enough for running the league,” Ba2cada added.
In terms of when the team will be paid, Ba2cada added that they are still talking with the department to show them that by covering their annual games with only 40% has affected everybody concerned. He admitted that he is not sure when the remaining 60% will be paid.
Ba2cada emphasized that, for the past 15 years, he has hosted the Ba2cada Soccer Tournament and doesn’t owe any team. Since the formation of Botshabelo, there has never been a soccer tournament as big as the Ba2cada Tournament which attracted teams from Cape Town, Lesotho, North West and other areas in Free State according to Ba2cada.
“All Botshabelo politicians and business people combined, have they done what I have been doing for Botshabelo in terms of community development? The answer is NO. Has there been anyone in the whole of Botshabelo who has given the platform to aspiring soccer kids like I do?” he asked.
Ba2cada adds that there has never been anyone who gave vendors an opportunity to sell for free for 16 days during tournaments. He says no one takes unemployed youth by making them cleaners and securities, car guards thorough his tournaments like he does.
Ba2cada attributed jealousy to some of his projects saying some people have been wishing to do such projects themselves and are bitter that his are successful. He says they were waiting for a mistake from him.
“Instead of appreciating that this guy has been doing great for us, few couldn’t wait for the slip up. Hence I won’t be shocked if tomorrow some committee will be saying we will do the Master’s League ourselves. That’s all they have been envying,” concluded Ba2cada.
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